Process for recovery of vapors



Sept. 25, 1928. 1,685,501

R. T. ossoRN PROCESS FOR RECOVERY 0F VAPORS Filed July 11. 1922 In fact, I have found that by'soi'ntroducing these light gaseslorvapors into the vapors off; the relatively higher boiling point fractionsjjA a more complete recovery of the. gases is ob';

tained than is: practical to obtain .by presenti known processes of scrubbing with liquid'oils.'j After the/foregoing preliminaryexplana tion my process will be more readily under; stood from the accompanying'drawings andjf the followingdetailed description showing a y preferred embodiment of my invention for-.; recovery of gases escaping from the vent pipes f 'f arrangement of the molecules'of the mixed vapors-ias the vvapors-are below 'a cracking temperature or pressure, moreover the vapors lare condensed at-substantially the prenre of Patented sept. 25, ma

-UUNITED STATES Bonnin r. osaonn, or nIcmgoND, CALIFORNIA, Assrouon., BY Emma ASSIGNMENTS,

' A conronA'rroN or nELAwAma -gTO STANDARD OIL COMPANY OF OF SAN-IRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA,

PROCESS FOR RECOVERY OI' 'VAPO-R8.

Aumentan med my 11,

This invention relates tothe recove of light hydrocarbon oils in vapor form, w ich .'multaneously with the still lbut producing vapors of relatively higherboihng' point. This still is connected by a vapor-line .vapors combine and the readily condensible-r-- waste gases from theventpipes of vdistilling apparatus, or units, or escaped'fromA treating equipment such as agitators or from other ap. paratus, or from producing oil wells.

While heretofore a number Aoff,ploces :e s'fg have been devised byfwhich these be more or less eilciently recovere all vsuc :Y processes require more-or-less elaborate equip meut, entaillng' 'Mfg??'installation@costV with' the accompanying operating and n'iaintena'nc cost. ,'Ifhave discovered-that there lightpe troleum vapors which.v are normally notcon'f-q@k densed 'under atmospheric conditions-of tem-"1f perature and pressure," maybe readily recov= ered .by passing suchjvapors into the vapors of relatively higher boiling'point fractions und then condensing `the resultant intermixed or commingled vapors* By thus passing such lost or waste vapors into heavier vapors I able .to avoid -the`necessity-o1-' 'expensive or:

extensive equipmentfor thereeovery thereof "treat-mentsat-"the'refnery maythus be intro-1.; i

and toavoid anymaterial cost of additiona operating expense., By thus passing' such? E, light vapors into the vapors of relativelyn..

higherboiling point fractions,` evidently *the of a distilling unit.

only the condensed liquid passes olf through the line 12. A second still 7 isoperating si.-

' condenser 8*;"lfFrom the vent 4 of the first 'i s till is provided'a connection 5 to said vapor line 6 of the second still whereby the escapin gases from the first still are introduced an commingled with the relatively higher boiling point vapors of thesecond still. These vaporsithen pass through the condenser 8 where'substantiall 4all of the mixed vapors` are 'condensedxT e condenser 8 is provlded witha' vent pipe 9 and a .trap 10. It will be l 'found that' the uncondensed ,from-'the still 1 .have been substantially allcondensed "fwitll'the condensateiromthe still'.V .In-aca tual ractice inthe distillation. of

oil 'I avepund that ,by thus int ucing the gases from-"thestillfl which were not controleum densed under atmospheric conditions of tem- 'perature and pressure, when introduced into.

or combined with the relativel yhigherboiliing'point vapors from the still.. are substanl tially all condensed in the condensation' of the relatively' higher boiling point vapors from simuarlypt'he @stef-gases, waiting? duced into the relatively higher boiling point Yvaporsof distillation operation and thus re-' covered.;f"Certain-plight vapors which 'occur l' combined' vapors are j d in wells may 'also be thus recov- Iamaw'are--that vapors have been mixed of hydrogenc'ontent between the vapors, or

.processesjin that thereis no. .chemical V'rei rein the tlistill'tttiliititif"jptt'ralam` oiiftite' together in the prior art for such purposes `as tofunction in a crackingoperation', either-"ri '.1 f to'retardthe'formation of fixed gases' in the Y Y cracking operation, or to cause some exchange. y

:to combinewith the 'liquid-.of the pressure', f* still. Also, that certain'. vapors have" been mixedtogether and then heavily ycompressed tolformblended roducts. .v -The'present proc- 5 and thus without heavy .ly

fic.)

methodof recovering vvapors substantially uncondensible -atatmosp eric' tem raturev 1 .f and pressure, comprising passing suc vapors j from the condenser of one distilling unit into the vapors from a second distilling unit operating below a cracking temperature and pressure to convert relatively higher boiling point oil into vapor, and directly ycondensing the resultant commingled vapors at substantially the pressure at which the relatively higher boiling point oils are vaporized.

2. A process of recovering escaping or Waste petroleum gases which are by themselves vsubstantially uncondensible at atmospheric pressure and temperature, which consists in passing such gases unaccompanied by vapors eondensible at or below the pressure and temperature at which said gases can be condensed, into vapors from a distilling unit l operating below cracking. temperature and pressure to convert higher boiling point oil into vapors which are condensible at atmospheric temperatures and pressures and which vapors contain substantially no constituents of which said gases are composed, therebyl creating a vapor condition such that substantially all of said vapors and gases can be condensed at atmospheric temperatures and pressures, and condensing the said gases together with the said vapors, said gases being retained in the same molecular state from the time of mixing until after their condensation.

Signed at Richmond, Calif., this 30th day of June, 1922.

ROBERT T. OSBORN. 

